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Privacy Policy and Terms

Introduction | Top

The Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (“VSCPA”) respects the personal information of its membership and visitors of the VSCPA.com website (“Website”). The VSCPA makes every effort to protect such information and use it responsibly and appropriately. This privacy policy explains how the VSCPA collects and processes your Personal Data. Each time you use our Website, the current version of this policy will apply.

“Personal Data” is any information that enables us to identify you, directly or indirectly, by reference to an identifier such as your name, identification number, location data, online identifier or one or more factors specific to your physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity.

Consent | Top

By visiting our Website or related properties, you hereby consent to our privacy policy and agree to the following terms and conditions.

Visit the Contact Us section of our Website if you have any questions or concerns about this policy. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone at (800) 733-8272, by email to [email protected] or by mail to 4309 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060.

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”), the Data Controller is the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia USA with a registered address at 4309 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060. VSCPA Technology Director Jennifer Syer is staff responsible for overseeing questions related to GDPR.

Collection of Personal Data | Top

Our Website has many sections that are open to all users, with no account credentials required. All information from general visitors to the Website is anonymous and does not contain any Personal Data. The web server tracks domain names for security purposes and information regarding the nature and extent of the website's usage. This information is used to analyze trends for business purposes such as providing customer service, fraud prevention, market research and improving our Website. Please check your Web browser if you want to learn what information your browser sends or how to change your settings.

The VSCPA may collect Personal Data when it is voluntarily submitted by the user to process certain requests (such as registration for programs, membership dues, updates and other services). The VSCPA collects only the appropriate information needed to process the request voluntarily from the user. Some of the information voluntarily collected may include your name, email address, phone number, fax number, postal address, membership number, certification information and financial/credit card information. At no point does the VSCPA collect any of this information in an involuntary manner. All Personal Data obtained from users is treated with great care (including data security controls compliant with PCI standards) to protect your privacy and security. The information volunteered is kept confidential by the VSCPA and is not shared with unrelated outside parties.

From time to time, we may use your Personal Data to provide you with updates and other information. We also collect the email addresses of people who communicate with us via email. We do not rent, sell or lease email addresses to any third party without your consent.

You may opt out of VSCPA communications at any time.

Third-Party Disclosures | Top

We partner with third parties and other affiliates to provide specific services or programs as approved by the VSCPA Board of Directors or President & CEO. When someone signs up for these services and/or becomes a VSCPA member or customer, we will share names and only Personal Data that is necessary for the third party to provide these services. These parties are not allowed to use your personal information except for the purpose of providing these services to the VSCPA and its members or customers, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information. In addition, Personal Data is shared with third parties such as banks and credit-card processers to the extent necessary for the VSCPA to deliver payment processing services.

To facilitate networking, the VSCPA makes contact information and other types of limited Personal Data available to members and customers only on password-secured areas of our Website and affiliated Websites. These areas include our Connect community, volunteer directories, the Find a CPA directory and others. Members and customers can opt out of the directories at any time.

The VSCPA may disclose confidential Personal Data if made in response to a valid order of a court or authorized agency of government, and will work to establish a legal means to limit such disclosure and only disclose that segment of confidential information that legal counsel advises must be disclosed.

Advertisements | Top

Links to Other Websites: Any link (including a hyperlink, button or referral device of any kind) used on the VSCPA Website is provided for your use and convenience. The appearance of a link on the Website does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation or certification by us. We do not endorse the content on any third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content of linked third-party websites or third-party advertisements, and do not make any representations regarding their content or accuracy. We do not knowingly link to websites that may infringe on valid and existing trademarks, service marks, copyrights or patents. Your use of third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites. We do not endorse any product that may be advertised on our Website.

Links to VSCPA Website: Links to our Website must be by prior written approval of the VSCPA. No other links into the Website are permitted. To obtain written permission, email us at [email protected] and reference the material you wish to use.

Unless they have prior written permission from us to do so, third parties (i) are not permitted to advertise in any way that suggests that we have any relationship or affiliation with a third-party website or that we endorse, sponsor or recommend the information, products or services on such website; (ii) cannot use any of our names, logos, designs, slogans, product trademarks or service marks in any advertising, publicity, promotion or in any other commercial matter; and (iii) cannot use any of our names, logos, designs, slogans, product trademarks or service marks, or any other words or codes identifying the VSCPA Website, in any "metatag" or other information used by search engines or other information location tools to identify and select websites.

Cookies | Top

Cookies are small pieces of data sent to your web browser by websites you visit. A cookie file is stored in your web browser or hard drive and allows the VSCPA or a third party to recognize you and make your future visits easier and our services more useful to you. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. The VSCPA is committed to protecting your confidentiality and does not store any Personal Data or financial information in any of the cookies on our Website or affiliated websites.

We use cookies to monitor VSCPA Website usage and performance, and to personalize the content of various areas within the Website. By using the VSCPA Website, you consent to the use of cookies.

If you would like to delete cookies or disable cookies through your individual web browser, please refer to your web browser’s help pages. Please note, however, that if you delete or disable cookies, you might not be able to use all of the features on the VSCPA Website, you may not be able to store your preferences, and some of our pages might not display properly.

Security | Top

The VSCPA treats all personally identifiable information collected on the Website as securely as possible. We use Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption on all forms that require submission through electronic data transfer. Our staff is trained to treat member and customer information with the utmost confidentiality. Should you feel there has been a breach in the security of this Website, please contact us immediately at (800) 733-8272.

Personal Information Protection | Top

As a user of the VSCPA Website, you are solely responsible to make sure your personal information is up to date and correct. The VSCPA is not responsible for any incorrect information entered by a user.

  • You can request access, correction, updates or deletion of your personal information.
  • You can object to processing of your personal information, ask us to restrict processing of your personal information, or request portability of your personal information.
  • If we have collected and processed your personal information with your consent, then you can withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.
  • You have the right to complain to a data protection authority about our collection and use of your personal information. Contact details for data protection authorities in the EEA, Switzerland, and certain non-European countries (including the U.S. and Canada) are available here.)
  • FOR RESIDENTS OF CALIFORNIA ONLY: The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requires select businesses to disclose policies relating to the collecting and sharing of certain categories of your Personal Data. This includes the right to know what Personal Data we collect and how we have used it; the right to request deletion of your Personal Data; and the right to be free from discrimination relating to the exercise of any of your privacy rights. If you reside in California and have provided your Personal Data to the VSCPA, you may request information or make requests about deleting your Personal Data. We will acknowledge any request within 10 days of receipt and aim to respond within 45 days.

To exercise any of these privacy rights, please contact us at [email protected], (800) 733-8272 or 4309 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060, Attention: Privacy. We will respond to your request to change, correct or delete your information within a reasonable time frame, and will notify you of the action we have taken.

Contact Permission | Top

By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you also agree that we can send you occasional email about VSCPA membership, updates, programs, products and events. You can manage the amount and type of email you receive in the My Account portion of VSCPA.com.

Opting Out of Our Communications | Top

You may unsubscribe from our communications by clicking the “unsubscribe” link on the bottom of our emails, updating your communication preferences, contacting us at [email protected], (800) 733-8272 or 4309 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060. If you do not want your information to be accessible to other members via our Connect community or online directories, please click here and follow the on-screen instructions. Customers and members cannot opt out of receiving automated confirmation or transactional emails related to their account with us.

Copyrights | Top

The VSCPA maintains this Website for your information, education and communication. You may download material displayed on the Website for non-commercial, personal use, provided you also retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained on the materials. You may not, however, distribute, modify, transmit, reuse, repost or use the content of the Website for public or commercial purposes, including the text and images, without the VSCPA's written permission.

Service Marks | Top

The VSCPA, its Website images and text, all page headers, custom graphics and button icons are service marks, trademarks and/or trade dress of the VSCPA and may not be used by others without prior written permission of the VSCPA. All use thereof inures to the benefit of the VSCPA. All other trademarks, product names and company names or logos cited in this Website are the property of their respective owners.

Terms & Conditions | Top

You should assume that everything you see or read on the VSCPA Website is copyrighted unless otherwise noted and may not be used except as provided in these Terms and Conditions or in the text on the Website without the written permission of the VSCPA. The VSCPA neither warrants nor represents that your use of materials displayed on the Website will not infringe rights of third parties not owned by or affiliated with the VSCPA.

While the VSCPA uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information on the Website, the VSCPA makes no warranties or representations as to its accuracy. The VSCPA assumes no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of the Website.

Your use of and browsing in the Website are at your risk. Neither the VSCPA nor any party involved in creating, producing or delivering the website is liable for any direct, incidental, consequential, indirect or punitive damages arising out of your access to, or use of, the Website. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the Website is provided to you "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. Please note that some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you. Check your local laws for any restrictions or limitations regarding the exclusion of implied warranties. The VSCPA also assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any damages to, or viruses that may infect, your computer equipment or other property on account of your access to, use of or browsing in the Website or your downloading of any materials, data text, images, video or audio from the Website.

The trademarks, logos and service marks (collectively the "Trademarks") displayed on the Website are registered and unregistered Trademarks of the VSCPA and others. Nothing contained on the Website should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademark displayed on the Website without the written permission of the VSCPA or such third party that may own the Trademarks displayed on the Website. Your misuse of the Trademarks displayed on the Website, or any other content on the Website, except as provided in these Terms and Conditions, is strictly prohibited.

The VSCPA has not reviewed all of the websites linked to our Website and is not responsible for the content of any off-website pages or any other website linked to the Website. Users who open third-party links do so at their own risk and should be aware of the privacy policies of those sites, as the VSCPA cannot control the use of user information shared directly with third parties.

By registering for and attending any VSCPA event, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

  • The VSCPA may photograph, audiotape or videotape participants and speakers/panelists at any VSCPA event.
  • Pictures, audio recordings or video recordings of VSCPA events may be used in future promotions for the VSCPA and/or its events, including in online and printed materials.
  • Any pictures, audio and video recordings become the sole and exclusive property of the VSCPA.
  • Submitting photos, videos or audio recordings for use by the VSCPA in print or online constitutes approval for the VSCPA to use the submissions.

Social Media Policy | Top

Etiquette: VSCPA social media channels are intended for the presentation of editorial commentary on issues pertaining to the CPA profession and also to facilitate dialogue among readers through the open comment feature. All participants must adhere to the following:

  • Do not provoke or attack others. Discussions are meant to stimulate conversation, not to create contention.
  • Do not post commercial messages. These channels are not to be used for marketing purposes.
  • Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on these channels is available for all to see, and comments are subject to libel, slander and antitrust laws. 
  • All defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post any message or comment that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you.
  • Please note carefully all items listed in the disclaimer and legal guidelines below, particularly regarding the copyright ownership of information posted to the list.
  • The VSCPA retains the right to reproduce postings.

Disclaimer: Social media channels are provided as a service of the VSCPA. The VSCPA accepts no responsibility for the opinions and information of others. The VSCPA disclaims all warranties with regard to information posted, whether posted by the VSCPA or any third party; this disclaimer includes all implied warranties of merchantability and fitness. In no event shall the VSCPA be liable for any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any information posted on the blog.

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The VSCPA makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.

Do not post any defamatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive or illegal materials. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that he or she owns the copyright with respect to such material or has received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants VSCPA the nonexclusive right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print and use such information or other material.

Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins or cost data; market shares, sales territories or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection or termination of customers or suppliers.

The VSCPA does not actively monitor social media channels for inappropriate postings, and does not, on its own, undertake editorial control of postings and comments. However, in the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the VSCPA's attention, the VSCPA reserves the right to take all appropriate action.

The VSCPA reserves the right to terminate access to social media channels for any user who does not abide by these guidelines.

If you have any questions about VSCPA social media, guidelines or etiquette, please contact VSCPA Senior Director, Marketing & Communications Jill Edmonds at [email protected] or (800) 733-8272.

Changes to This Notice | Top

The VSCPA may at any time revise our Privacy Policy and these Terms and Conditions by updating this posting. Since you are bound by any such revisions, we recommend you revisit this page frequently to stay abreast of such changes.